1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording device and an image recording method for obtaining image information and attached information about an image stored in an information storage medium or an information storage device, and printing out predetermined image data under predetermined output control at each of a plurality of paper output ports of the image recording device to which an option device can be connected.
The present invention also relates to an image recording device and an image recording method for obtaining image information and attached information about an image in the memory of a data processing device, etc. through Internet, generating a printing job, and printing out predetermined image data under predetermined output control based on the generated printing job.
2. Related Background Art
There has been a conventional picture print service as a common method of regenerating image data a user has at hand. This print service is performed by: a user taking a semitransparent negative cover (negative holder) containing a roll of developed film with the requested number of prints written or marked to a print shop, etc.; and the print shop designating an image to be regenerated (printed) to print only the designated image.
Recently, a photo CD system has been developed. In this system, an image in film is read, and the image data is written on CD-ROM, and is further read from the CD-ROM to regenerate and display on an image display device such as a display, etc. In this photo CD system, a computer system reads the image data recorded on the CD-ROM and outputs on a high quality image printer, thereby obtaining a printed image. Since the high quality image printer is expensive, and it is hard for a personal user to own it, it is common that a user requests a print shop for a print service to obtain a printed image.
When a user requests a print service, he or she normally presents CD-ROM and a memo containing the information (for example, an image number, etc. confirmed using an index print, etc.) designating image data recorded on the CD-ROM.
Furthermore, with the improvement of computer technology and the spread of personal computers and image input devices such as digital cameras, users have become able to process high precision digital image data. The image data is stored in a predetermined information storage medium in various image file formats such as the TIFT, PICT, JPEG, RAW, etc., and is normally output on a printer connected to a computer owned by a personal user.
However, since an output result from a personally owned printer is normally inferior to an output result by a print service of a developer, a print shop, a DPE shop, or a personal computer shop, there are not a few requests for print services.
When a user receives a print service, it is recently possible to request to print image data by transmitting the image data through a communications line. However, it is common to present or take an information storage medium storing image data to a service shop. In this case, it is necessary to indicate a desired image in the image data stored in an information storage medium, and a user who requests a print service has to notify a service shop of the number or name of the image to specify a desired image in the image data stored in the information storage medium.
On the other hand, the image print service shop receives the instruction written on the memo, etc. of the user who requests the print service, manually selects and prints the user specified image from the image data stored in the information storage medium.
Normally, since the computer system for the above mentioned print service requires complicated operations, it is not easy for a common staff of a service shop to correctly select and print an image to be printed. Additionally, it is a laborious process to actually select and print a user desired image data from the image data stored in the information storage medium, thereby limiting the printing time.
Under the situation, a method of quickly obtaining a printed image by automatically specifying a desired image from among a plurality of images stored in an information storage medium has recently been suggested.
FIGS. 53A to 53C show examples of the configurations of a storage medium 5001 as an information storage medium.
In FIG. 53A, the storage medium 5001 is mapped into four independent areas, that is, a reserved area 5002, a file allocation table area 5003 (hereinafter referred to as a FAT area), a root directory area 5004, and a file area 5005.
The reserved area 5002 stores, for the storage medium 1, the size of the reserved area 5002, the size of the FAT area 5003, and the number of entries in the root directory area 5004. The FAT area 5003 stores the use of the storage medium space in the file area 5005 of the storage medium 5001. The root directory area 5004 stores directory entry information indicating the information such as a file name, a size, a position, etc. stored in the storage medium 5001. The file area 5005 stores image generation indication data and actual image data.
For convenience of explanation, the image generation indication data is expressed as DPFxxx as shown in FIG. 53B, and the image data is expressed as IMGxxx as shown in FIG. 53C (where xxx indicates characters or numerals for identification of plural pieces of image generation indication data and image data).
Next, as an example of a conventional print control process, a process of generating and outputting a desired print image by a printing device using image data recorded in the storage medium 5001 as shown in FISG. 53A to 53C is described below by referring to the flowchart shown in FIG. 54.
In FIG. 54, in step S5101, it is confirmed whether or not the storage medium 5001 has been set in the data reading unit in the printing device (refer to FIGS. 9 and 13 described later). If it is confirmed that the storage medium 5001 has been set, control is passed to step S5102.
In step S5102, it is checked in the data reading unit whether or not there is a file having the name of DPFxxx by referring to the contents of the root directory area 5004 stored in the storage medium 5001. If there is no DPFxxx file, the printing device terminates the operation. If there is a DPFxxx file, control is passed to step S5103, and the first DPFxxx file (FIG. 53B) in the file area 5005 is read.
In step S5104, the first file name IMGxxx indicated in the read DPFxxx file is read. In step S5105, the image data (FIG. 53(C)) stored in the file name IMGxxx read in step S5104 is read.
In step S5106, an image generating process is performed by an image generating unit (refer to FIG. 13 described later) in the printing device on the image data read in step S5105, and bit map image data is generated. The generated bit map image data is printed in step S5107 by the image output unit (refer to FIG. 13 described later) in the printing device.
In step S5108, it is checked whether or not there is another IMGxxx indicated in the DPFxxx file being read (refer to FIG. 53B). If another IMGxxx is indicated, then control is passed to step S5109. If there is no other IMGxxx indicated, control is passed to step S5110. In step S5109, the IMGxxx file is read, and control is passed to step S5105.
In step S5110, the storage medium 5001 is accessed. If there is another DPFxxx file, then control is passed to step S5111, the next DPFxxx file is read, and control is passed to step S5104. If there is no other DPFxxx files, then the operation of the printing device terminates.
However, there has been the following problems in the above mentioned conventional system.
(First Problem)
Recently, computers are interconnected through a LAN (local area network), and a LAN connection can be made not only to a printer, but also to various other peripheral devices such as a multifunction image processing device, etc. having copying and facsimile functions. Therefore, an image recording device has realized a method of outputting paper in various paper output modes satisfying all needs of a plurality of users sharing a network, for example, a user separately fixing (mail box) mode, a user separately automatic (job separate) mode, a sort mode, a stack mode, etc.
In the user separately fixing mode and the user separately automatic mode, a unique name is assigned to each paper output port of an image recording device, and the paper output ports are discriminated based on the names.
The difference between the modes will be described below. In the user separately fixing mode, paper is output by registering in advance an identification name for each paper output port of an image recording device, and specifying the identification name as a selected paper output port when a printing process is performed, thereby specifying and using a selected paper output port by a user easily discriminated name.
On the other hand, in the user separately automatic mode, for example, a user name of a print requesting user is dynamically registered as an unused and available paper output port during a printing process, and the paper output port registered when the printing process is first performed is retrieved to output paper to the paper output port if the same user specifies a print request again, thereby appropriately performing a printing job for each user without prompting a user to specify a correct selected paper output port when the printing process is performed.
In the sort mode, a print of a printing job is sorted into the specified number of paper output ports using a series of paper output ports. In the stack mode, paper is continuously output to the same paper output port in a printing job until it is full. When it is full, the paper output port is switched to the next highest priority paper output port to which paper is output. These paper output methods are well known.
As described above, when a printing process is performed by a host computer through a printer driver, various settings are made by selecting a paper output mode, etc., and various processes can be performed in various paper output modes. However, when a printing process is performed using a digital camera or performed directly from an information storage medium such as a memory stick, etc., there are no means for specifying a medium for performing the printing process or for specifying a selected paper output port, thereby having a user prints, and requiring a laborious and time-consuming process in selecting prints for personal use, or various selecting operations in a print service operations for each clients, etc.
(Second Problem)
For example, in a photo print service, in the embodiment in which an information storage medium such as a negative cover, CD-ROM, etc. storing image data is directly taken to a service shop in the above mentioned conventional technology, a client has to go directly to a service shop, etc. to request them for prints, and has to go to the shop again to obtain requested prints, thereby requiring a considerable time and laborious steps.
Furthermore, when a user requests a service shop for a print service, he or she has to specify a desired image to be printed, and write the number of prints, etc. on a memo, etc. in a predetermined format, and the staff of the service shop has to follow the information written on the memo in selecting the image to be printed, etc. As a result, the staff also requires a laborious operation.
In addition, when a print is made through an information storage medium such as CD-ROM, image data is stored in an information storage medium such as CD-ROM, etc., and a user has to check contents of the data in advance, and prepare a memo.
When image data is transmitted through a communications line, a user does not have to go to a service shop to request a print service, but has to specify an image to be printed and the number of prints by preparing a memo. Therefore, a staff at the service shop still requires some laborious steps.
On the other hand, with the recent spread of personal computers, a large number of common users have installed their own personal computers at home. In addition, without personal computers, users are allowed to realize connections to Internet using domestic electric appliances such as a TV set, a game machine, etc. having the functions of personal computers. Furthermore, with the remarkable spread of mobile terminals, data has been transmitted and received through portable handy phones, etc. Thus, not only computers but also all media have been interconnected regardless of cable or radio.
That is, when a printing process is performed using electronic image data without using any physical item such as a negative, etc., any user can easily issue an instruction to make a print through a personal computer, a portable handy phone, etc. at home. Accordingly, in making copies of a photograph, etc., a user can request from home any service shop to make copies.
However, even with the spread of personal computers at home, the above mentioned print service, etc. has not been effectively used. As a result, these services have not been efficiently provided.